Refrigerator



UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlc's CHARLES A. Moons, or annu, MINNESOTAREFBIGEBATOB Application led January` 26, 1931. Serial No. 511.885. i

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerators, particularly,though not exclusively, for domestic purposes, an object of theinvention being to provide a self-venti- 5 lating structure of thepresent character,

upper portion of the refrigerator structure.V

A further object of the invention is to pro- :"3 vide a refrigerator asabove in which the ingress conduit is disposed within said egressopening, under which construction there is but one Ventilating openingformed in the refrigerator structure.

'An additional object of the invention isto provide simple and effectivemeans in association with said ingress conduit and egress opening forlocalizing and collecting any accumulation of moisture that may becaused in the vicinity of the egress opening.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear in thefollowing description, the invention' resides in the novel combinationand arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical 'sectional views of arefrigerator embodying my invention, Fig. 1 being taken. as on the onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 isa horizontal sectional View takenas on the line 3 3 of Fig. ,1.

The illustrated embodiment of my invention includes the usual box-likecabinet A comprising a bottom 10, ends 11, front 12 with doors 13therein, back 14 and top 15, said cabinet structure having an innerlining 16 suitably insulated as at 17. The interior of the cabinet Aconstitutes a chamber line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 2 being taken as B forprovisions and, of course, contains a suitable refrigerating medium suchas the conventional refrigerating unit indicated in dotted lines at 18.

In adapting the cabinet to the Ventilating 56.

means embodied in the present invention, a single opening 19 is formedin the top 1'5 of the cabinet. An upright air ingress conduit 20,suitably supported within the chamber B as by means of brackets 2,1, isprojected 60 at its upper end through said opening 19. In externaldiameter, the conduit 20 is considerably smaller than the internaldiameter of the opening 19, said opening being lined with a sleeve 22,which extends above the top f5. l

of the cabinet and forms a passageway for the egress of air from thechamber B about the conduit 20. Mounted on said conduit 2O is a hood 23for the upper end of the sleeve 22. An annular pan 24 for catching thedri 70 f from this hood 23 encircles the sleeve22, sai pan being ttedwith a suitable drain pipe, as at 25. v

" It is desirable, though not necessary, that .be relatively closelydisposed. Air within the conduit 20, being cooled therein, descends fromthe outside to the bottom of the chamber B and thence commingles withthev air internally circulating by gravity in said 8 chamber. Due to thecompression inl the chamber, which is built up b the gravitatin ingressof air thereto throug con uit 20, an

by the respiration of the perishables in the chamber, the vitiated airof highest tempera- 85 ture and highest relative humidity in the upperstratum of the chamber B has free e ress from the chamber through thesleeve 22. his air, thus displaced from the chamber, is intercepted bythe hood 23 and deflected down- 90 wardly before it becomes free intheatmosphere of the room in which the refrigerator is located. Under suchconditions as will cause the accumulation of moisture upon the hood 23,.the pan 24 will serve to catch the 95 drip from said hood and the drainpipe 25 will conduct the water away from said pan.

If desired, the conduit 20 and .sleeve 22 may be extended through thewall of the room in which the refrigerator is located so that 10 thechamber B is brought into communication with the outdoor atmosphere. Insuch event, when such atmosphere 1s of a lower temperature than that ofthechamber B, the in ss l of air to the chamber takes place throu thesleeve 22 and the'egress of air throng con. duit 20, all by gravity. lA. Among the severa advantages residing in 'the present improvement, itis to be noted thatA the ventilation'of the .refrigerator isaccomplished alone by avity; that it is necessary to form but a sin I;opening in the cabinet for both ingress an egress of air thereto; thatany objectionable accumulation of moisture ljat the egress passageway iseliminated; that the ventllating equi ment is exceedingly simple,inexpensive an easy to install; t at this equipment is readilyarrangedto suit different constructions and that it occupies a limit- 29 edamount of usable space within the refrigerating chamber.

Chan es in the specific formvof my inventionas erein disclosed, ma bemade within vthe scope of what is clalme without departin from thespirit of my invention. l

aving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is: l l

1. In a refrigerator, a cabinet enclosing a 3 0 provision chamber, arefrigerating medlum within said chamber, an upright conduit within thechamber leading downwardly thereinto from the outside, for thegravitating K ingress of air therethrough to the chamber,

- 3,5 said cabinet having an egress o ning in the ulpper portion thereofthrough w ich air from t e corresponding portion ofthe chamber is `Acompressed to the outside.

2. In a refrigerator, a cabinet enclosing a 4 0 provision chamber, arefrigerat'n medlum within said chamber, a conduit leadingdownwardlyfrom the outside into the cabinet structure and opening at itslower end into said chamber, said conduit being aiected by saidrefrigerating medium and causing the gravitation of fresh air into saidchamber, said cabinet having an egress o ning in the upper portionthereof through w ich air from such portion of said chamber iscompressed '5.0 to the outside.

In testimony whereof I aix m si ature.

CHARLES A.

